Comparison with Legacy Naming Services

Naming, or directory, services technology has evolved with the rise of network computing as the central concept of information technology. Host-based naming services, such as DNS, are widely deployed and have provided a key component of the network infrastructure in place today. Desktop LAN-based naming services like NIS have enjoyed much success in Solaris and UNIX environments but have not been widely accepted outside of these environments. Standards-based LDAP directories are starting to gain wide acceptance and look to be the backbone of corporate directory infrastructures in the future.

With so many Solaris naming services available, it is not always easy to keep the differences straight. To help you out, TABLE 2-6 summarizes the key features found in each of the naming services discussed in this chapter.